RFK Jr. destroyed more than a quarter of the health department’s expert panels

Among the dissolved advisory committees was the NIH Center for Scientific Review Advisory Board, which was established in 1988. The advisory board was not responsible for reviewing grant applications; rather, he advised NIH leaders on how to allocate funding for research.

“Indignant”

Beyond the NIH, the CDC had nine advisory committees dismantled, including others, such as the ACIP, that were undermined. Four were fired at the FDA.

Canceled and otherwise undermined advisory committees included those focused on childhood vaccines, inherited diseases in newborns and children, Alzheimer’s disease, health equity, infection control in healthcare, rural health, novel and exceptional technology, long COVID, and the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), according to the report.

In January, HHS named 21 new members to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, an advisory panel that monitors autism research and progress in its causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment. At least eight of the new members believe, like Kennedy, the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. In response to the appointments, autism researchers and advocates formed a competitive nongovernmental advisory committee to counter anticipated misinformation from the federal panel.

At the FDA, disbanded advisory committees focused on arthritis, medical imaging drugs, pharmaceutical sciences, and patient engagement.

In all, the report concludes that Kennedy’s attack on these expert advisory committees is undermining the biomedical enterprise and the overall health of the United States, and that the damage may be difficult to reverse quickly.

“All Americans, including patients, policymakers and scientists, have every right to be outraged by the damage Trump has done to federal health advisory committees,” said Michael Abrams, senior health researcher at Public Citizen and author of the report. “Trump’s actions are undermining biomedical research, long-standing processes for approving new drugs and medical devices, and federal vaccine policy. Silencing and biasing outside experts leaves HHS vulnerable to gridlock and corruption that erodes the health of all Americans.”